Motherland - Tetyana Denford

'The wheels of the cart thrummed along the ground, a black silhouette moving across the slate skies, the figure of Julia's sister cut out in black, holding the reigns. They were now hours away from what they had left behind...'

Ukraine, 1940. Julia flees her childhood home, never to see her parents again. She is captured and forced into a labour camp in Germany, where she slowly starts to give up on all hope of survival. Her redemption comes in the form of Henry, a fellow Ukrainian working for the SS.

Julia and Henry promise themselves to each other, and the days pass with little hope, but just before liberation, they welcome a daughter into the world and decide to board a boat filled with thousands of immigrants heading to Australia. Salvation. They begin again, trying to make sense of their life in the barren sugarcane fields.

But Julia feels isolated and frustrated, and tensions slowly mount between her and Henry, until one day, Julia is forced to reveal a tragic secret; a secret that she'd never revealed for fear of losing him, and their daughter. It breaks Henry's heart and shatters his trust, and so he gives her an ultimatum before they immigrate to New York. It's a choice no mother should ever have to make.

Her decision changes the course of her life forever, until 65 years later, the forgiveness she seeks comes from someone she never thought would find her again.

Based on extraordinary true events, Motherland is a powerful story about love, loss, and perseverance against the odds, perfect for fans of We Were The Lucky Ones, The Light Between Oceans, and The Nightingale.